NDP REALITY CHECK: While Harper pats himself on the back, Canadians raise serious concerns about the TPP

As Stephen Harper cheers on the TPP agreement-in-principle, Canadians are raising serious concerns about the secretive deal.

“It's a bad day for Canadian manufacturing and a bad day for Canada's dairy farmers. We lost 80,000 auto job under Stephen Harper's watch. This deal will reduce another 20,000 jobs here in Canada. This is a time when we are losing so many good manufacturing jobs. This is a significant hit. There was no reason for this at all.”

Jerry Dias, President of UNIFOR, CTV, October 5, 2015

“Canadians who care about the open Web should be very concerned about this ultra-secret pact, which could be disastrous for Canada’s digital economy. What we’re talking about here is global Internet censorship. It will criminalize our online activities, censor the Web, and cost Canadians money. This deal would never pass with the whole world watching – that’s why they’ve negotiated it in total secrecy.”

“MSF expresses its dismay that TPP countries have agreed to United States government and multinational drug company demands that will raise the price of medicines for millions by unnecessarily extending monopolies and further delaying price-lowering generic competition.”

"Despite widespread, international opposition, the United States government is moving toward signing a trade deal that threatens our families, our communities, and our environment.

Amazingly, the public is still not able to see the contents of a completed pact that has been negotiated entirely behind closed doors. But we know enough about the pact to understand that, if passed, it would undermine decades of environmental progress and threaten our climate.”

“The biggest regional trade and investment agreement in history is not what it seems. You will hear much about the importance of the TPP for “free trade”. The reality is that this is an agreement to manage its members’ trade and investment relations — and to do so on behalf of each country’s most powerful business lobbies. Make no mistake: It is evident from the main outstanding issues, over which negotiators are still haggling, that the TPP is not about “free” trade.”

“The CVMA will examine the terms of the agreement in principle once the final language is released but it is concerned to learn of a significant differentiation in the negotiated tariff transitions achieved by Canada and the United States.”

Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association (CVMA), October 5, 2015

“The big losers in the #TPP are patients and treatment providers in developing countries. RIP #accesstomedicines”